The sunlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves and shone onto the roof of the car. On the dim park path, Domen Yasuki rolled down the window and stared at the children running around the pond not far away, lost in thought.
"I knew I shouldn't use him."
The secretary next to him was stunned and turned to look at the boss, his eyes full of confusion, not understanding why the boss suddenly said such a thing.
"I know there are a lot of people who don't want to see me elected as a councillor."
Domon Yasuteru continued, as if he was talking to himself, but also as if he was hinting at something.
"I have touched the interests of too many people. These people will definitely attack me, but I don't regret it."
Sakaki Makoto remained silent, sucking on his cigarette.
The park was left behind as the Mercedes drove onto an endless highway that seemed to have no end.
“It’s not too late to quit now.”
Domon Yasuki stared at the rearview mirror, observing Sakaki Makoto's expression:
"Too many people in the world are driven by interests and have no choice. You are different. You can leave at any time and stay away from troubles... Why do you want to stay?"
"I don't like trouble, and I don't like avoiding problems."
The bluish-white smoke twisted in the illusion and disappeared in an instant. Sakaki Makoto said calmly:
"If there are problems, just solve them. Avoiding them will only make them accumulate more and more, just like a warehouse full of TNT. If you ignore it, no one will be spared when it explodes. You and I are chess pieces. You think you can find peace by jumping off the chessboard, but someone will pick you up and put you on a new chessboard. The only way to break the deadlock is to wave the flag, lead like-minded companions, fight the enemy, use all your weapons, and kill the enemy without reservation. Only after the end can you return to the chess basket and enjoy life."
"After winning this round, can we win the next one?"
"Losing is not a terrible thing. What is terrible is that when facing the enemy, you don't even have the courage to draw your sword. You are like a lamb in a pen, waiting to be slaughtered."
Sakaki Makoto laughed:
"There is a word called 'bad chess player', which describes a person who is very bad at chess. But even a bad chess player will play black and white and draw his sword against the strong. If you just try to escape, you won't even have the chance to be a bad chess player."
"That makes a lot of sense..."
Domon Yasuki sighed:
"Can a lousy chess player like me win this game?"
“It’s meaningless to only look at winning or losing. Some people win, but they lose everything and are left alone; some people lose, but they understand what is most important to them.”
After flicking off the ash from his cigarette, Sakaki Makoto said quietly:
"Life is like the Grim Reaper. It puts its sickle on your neck, urging you to write down the things you think are important, and then lets you choose between life and them. Every time you cross out something, you can linger on for a while, until finally, you find that you have nothing to lose, or you find something that you must not lose. Then you will understand that the Grim Reaper is not that scary. It looks funny and ridiculous in its tattered cape and rusty, corroded, and broken sickle. If you pull the trigger five times and still survive, then of course the last shot should be left to the Grim Reaper, isn't it?"
"The last shot is for the god of death..."
The secretary seemed stunned and stared blankly at Sakaki Makoto. She actually heard deep regret and despair in these words, as if a person who had faced the god of death was roaring to the sky in regret, wanting to redeem everything he had lost, but it was too late.
Perhaps from then on, he was no longer confused, put life and death aside, and understood what was more important than life. When he got the chance again, he would never let it go. Even if death came again, he would draw his sword and would not take a step back or make any compromise.
The afternoon schedule was not as tight as the morning one. Yasuki Domon was cooperating with Tokyo TV to go to Okutama Town in northwest Tokyo to visit the elderly widows living alone at home. This was a form of marketing, but it was Yasuki Domon who took the initiative to propose it.
You certainly can't just bring your mouth when you go to visit someone. The supplies that Domen Yasuki had purchased in advance were delivered by a van truck. According to the schedule, it has already set off and is expected to arrive a little earlier than them.
On the ring road, the Tokyo TV interview car met up with them. This program would be broadcast during prime time in the evening, which would increase support by at least 3%.
At 2:20 p.m., the Mercedes finally arrived at Okutama Town in the suburbs of Tokyo.
Here, there are no other cars on the winding roads, birds singing can be heard from the dense forests from time to time, and abandoned and dilapidated houses can be seen everywhere on the roadside, forming a sharp contrast with the bustling Tokyo.
"This place is quite deserted..."
Seeing this scene, Domon Yasuki sighed:
"Twenty years ago, Okutama was a thriving timber business with huge profits and a permanent population. Later, the government launched a timber import policy, which caused timber prices to plummet. In just one year, Okutama was left with only 6,000 people, and all the young people fled to the city."
Makoto Sakaki was somewhat surprised but not shocked by the decline of Okutama Town.
If a remote town in a modern country wants to develop, it must have policy support and fresh blood. Once all the young people run away to other places, the town will be like an elderly person, and the ending it faces will undoubtedly be tragic.
This is a choice of the times and it is difficult to change.
In today's Okutama Town, only the town government, hospitals and several tourist attractions have young people working. The remote village that Makoto Sakaki and his companions came to is sparsely populated.
Even though Okutama Town offered free houses to attract permanent residents, several young couples moved in. However, what they then had to face were inconvenient transportation, no school for their children, and the occasional appearance of wild boars and black bears.
This made them realize that behind the beautiful nature, there are many dangers hidden.
As of today, there are very few people living in the villages near Okutama Town. Most of them are elderly people who do not want to leave this land, and their children have all gone to big cities to develop.
The Mercedes-Benz stopped halfway up the mountain. Yasukuni Domon got out of the car, stood on the edge of the road, looked at the gurgling stream below, closed his eyes, and took a few deep breaths of fresh air.
bite!
【You have a new text message】
Everyone's cell phones rang at the same time.
Sakaki Makoto took out his cell phone and looked at it, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
The content of the text message was simple. It came from the town government of Okutama Town, reminding them that there were black bears nearby and they should be careful.
In the real wilderness, there was no telling when a black bear would pop out of the woods and rush towards them...
Especially at this time of year, when winter is approaching, bears need to store enough fat to hibernate...
There is no doubt that Sakaki Makoto and his companions can provide more fat to the black bear than the fish in the river.
"I can't be so unlucky..."
Sakaki Makoto muttered:
"It looks like Conan is on his way..."
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